Building muscle mass on a caloric deficit

Big_Daddy6
Big_Daddy6 Posts: 188
edited December 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
I've often heard you can't build muscle mass on a caloric deficit. I'm fairly new at this so I was hoping some mfp members with some experience could shed some light on this for me. Is there no way around this? Is it either loose fat without adding muscle or add muscle along with some fat? Can't we get the best of both worlds? I am hitting the weights hard 5 days a week. I do cardio 6 times a week. I eat between 1000-1500 over my BMR everyday then burn enough calories with lifting and cardio to get me down to about a 500 calorie deficit. I am getting alot stronger but not sure if I'm building mass? Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Monday chest
Tuesday shoulders
Wednesday back
Thursday biceps triceps
Friday legs
M-F cardio follows lifting
Saturday cardio
Sunday rest

Thanks people!!

Replies

  • JLD81
    JLD81 Posts: 133 Member
    I'm not going to be one of the ones who tell u that it is impossible, but I will say it is more difficult. If u r in a deficit u r going to be extra careful to ensure that the calories u eat r quality not quantity. Make sure u get enough Lean protein to provide to building blocks for muscle. Be sure and give ur body adequate rest and water. Multivitamins would b a good idea. Don't overdone deficit. I would suggest cycling ur diet if u do this so that ur body doesn't enter starvation mode. Part of this will depend on how much weight u have to lose. These diets WILL work short term.BUT ur body will eventually will slow ur metabolism over time. The more u have to lose Thw longer your body will typically respond to it. How do u monitor ur calorie burn? Do u have a hrm?
  • Big_Daddy6
    Big_Daddy6 Posts: 188
    I do have a HRM. I'm set to loose 1 pound a week. I got about 90 pounds left to loose.
  • __Sneakers__
    __Sneakers__ Posts: 20
    You're better off just trying to sustain/maintain the lean mass you already have as opposed to trying to gain muscle on a deficit which is very hard to do but not impossible. Even if you do gain mass....it will be very little. You look like you have a solid frame on you. Drop the fat and you will see the huge amounts of muscle you already have. So focus on maintaining by creating a caloric deficit, keeping your protein HIGH and lifting some heavy *kitten* weight. Also you'd benefit greatly by doing a FULLBODY routine 3 X week instead of the 1 you listed. Focus on compound lifts like squats, dead, pullups, presses, row, shrugs. Oh and educate yourself. Don't just settle for the advice of others. Your brain is the ONLY SUPPLEMENT you need. Good luck.



    Check this out http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=115643271
  • YoungerNextYear59937
    YoungerNextYear59937 Posts: 90 Member
    Also keep in mind that any muscle you build will burn calories even while you sleep!
  • Big_Daddy6
    Big_Daddy6 Posts: 188
    You're better off just trying to sustain/maintain the lean mass you already have as opposed to trying to gain muscle on a deficit which is very hard to do but not impossible. Even if you do gain mass....it will be very little. You look like you have a solid frame on you. Drop the fat and you will see the huge amounts of muscle you already have. So focus on maintaining by creating a caloric deficit, keeping your protein HIGH and lifting some heavy *kitten* weight. Also you'd benefit greatly by doing a FULLBODY routine 3 X week instead of the 1 you listed. Focus on compound lifts like squats, dead, pullups, presses, row, shrugs. Oh and educate yourself. Don't just settle for the advice of others. Your brain is the ONLY SUPPLEMENT you need. Good luck.



    Check this out http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=115643271

    Thanks
  • __Sneakers__
    __Sneakers__ Posts: 20
    You're better off just trying to sustain/maintain the lean mass you already have as opposed to trying to gain muscle on a deficit which is very hard to do but not impossible. Even if you do gain mass....it will be very little. You look like you have a solid frame on you. Drop the fat and you will see the huge amounts of muscle you already have. So focus on maintaining by creating a caloric deficit, keeping your protein HIGH and lifting some heavy *kitten* weight. Also you'd benefit greatly by doing a FULLBODY routine 3 X week instead of the 1 you listed. Focus on compound lifts like squats, dead, pullups, presses, row, shrugs. Oh and educate yourself. Don't just settle for the advice of others. Your brain is the ONLY SUPPLEMENT you need. Good luck.



    Check this out http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=115643271

    Thanks

    Dude let your DIET create your deficit for you. Don't get all crazy trying to burn a million calories with your HRM. Your main FOCUS should be logging EVERYTHING you eat followed by keeping track of your LIFTS!
  • AlotOfSweatAndPain
    AlotOfSweatAndPain Posts: 234 Member
    You're better off just trying to sustain/maintain the lean mass you already have as opposed to trying to gain muscle on a deficit which is very hard to do but not impossible. Even if you do gain mass....it will be very little. You look like you have a solid frame on you. Drop the fat and you will see the huge amounts of muscle you already have. So focus on maintaining by creating a caloric deficit, keeping your protein HIGH and lifting some heavy *kitten* weight. Also you'd benefit greatly by doing a FULLBODY routine 3 X week instead of the 1 you listed. Focus on compound lifts like squats, dead, pullups, presses, row, shrugs. Oh and educate yourself. Don't just settle for the advice of others. Your brain is the ONLY SUPPLEMENT you need. Good luck.



    Check this out http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=115643271

    Thanks

    Dude let your DIET create your deficit for you. Don't get all crazy trying to burn a million calories with your HRM. Your main FOCUS should be logging EVERYTHING you eat followed by keeping track of your LIFTS!

    Very good advice
  • Determinednoob
    Determinednoob Posts: 2,001 Member
    If you have 90 lbs to lose, you can lose more than 1 lb per week. Start at 3-4 and taper down as you lose. I stayed at 2 all the way down to 12%. Also you would do well to read everything you find here http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/686963-large-collection-of-info-for-beginners
  • dave4d
    dave4d Posts: 1,155 Member
    For most people, it depends on what body type you are. It's been a while since I read the article, I think it was on T-nation.com, but certain body types will build muscle easier than others, and can build muscle while on a caloric deficit. Others will lose fat quite easily, but will have a hard time building muscle.

    I've seen people completely transform their body without losing a single lb. of weight.
  • Big_Daddy6
    Big_Daddy6 Posts: 188
    Thanks for the input everyone. Ill keep working at my goals and look into all the suggestions and links I got here.
  • Awkward30
    Awkward30 Posts: 1,927 Member
    You, also, can be put on muscle in a calorie deficit when you're new to lifting. Newbie gains are not that big, but can be significant.
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
    Lets put it this way- at this point you don't need to build muscle mass. If you're carrying around 90 extra pounds, no doubt you have a good amount of muscle already. On a deficit, you'll be able to get all the benefits of building mass for months through neuromuscular adaptations. You'll have firmer muscles, You;ll be able to gain *a LOT* of strength, you will get the hormonal response that helps drive fat loss, you'll increase your metabolism (to a point) and as you strip the fat off you'll be able to see your muscle a lot better, without adding any *new* mass. The first several months of any lifting program, whether you're on a deficit or not, most of the strength gains come from neuromuscular adaptations (which is your CNS teaching your muscle fibers to fire better) so you won't really be missing out on anything. There are methods to try and lose fat and gain muscle at the same time, but they're complicated and really slow. With 90lbs to lose, you're much better off going with a moderate deficit, and stripping fat while maintaining the muscle you have.

    Here's a graph showing typical progression of strength gains of average lifters, not on a deficit. You can see that almost all of the early strength gains come from neuromuscular adaptation.
    NeuromuscularAdaptation-Strengthgraph.jpg
    Keep on keepin on!
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